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Comment by kllrnohj | Hacker News Reader

Air-less tires have been working fine for decades: https://www.nasa.gov/specials/wheels/

You'll also find industrial equipment examples like https://www.sourceproequipment.com.au/crocodile-skid-steer-b...

As the person you're replying to said, though, the problem for passenger cars is NVH. They aren't quiet.

Even with that downside, though, they are still used in consumer-facing applications like some bike sharing programs: https://medium.com/@fredchang/by-now-youve-probably-heard-of...

Where a smoother ride is less significant than unlocking a bike & finding a flat tire.

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What the hell, I've been looking for something like this for the past few months. Only ones I could find were Tannus (too soft) and Schwalbe (garbage).

Don't care about weight, noise, ride quality, just need unbreakable tires because riding through neighborhoods where people break glass bottles on the bike paths will make me smash someone's head with one someday.

How about just regular Schwalbe Marathons Plus? In my experience those tyres are literally unpuncturable(at the cost of a huge weight penalty).

I rode across the country on a pair (two pairs actually, first set wore out) of marathon pluses. I got 1 flat from a metal staple, which is pretty good for 4200 miles :D

These are great tires, but the rolling resistance can absolutely be felt. They do suffer in grip in wet conditions as well.

The non-Plus Marathons are quite nice, but less puncture-proof.

You can't really win, the stiffer the tire the better it is at protecting the tube but the rolling resistance is higher and the tire flexes less which makes it less grippy.

Weirdly, it's actual black magic - the regular Marathons have the lowest rolling resistance of any touring tyre[0](lower than Schwalbe's own Marathon Racer lol), despite being very good at puncture proofing and not being completely slick. No idea how Schwalbe has actually done it.

[0] https://www.bicyclerollingresistance.com/tour-reviews/schwal...

Continental Gatorskin brand tires have worked really well in my experience, easily many thousands of miles. They usually age out (2 years or so) before I've had any flat. I have had snakebite flats though which is usually just due to low air pressure or bad tubes. Tubes can just suck. I've combined them with puncture resistant tubes (thicker tubes) and never had a flat, using 700x25 or 700x28 versions.

https://www.continental-tires.com/bicycle/tires/race-tires/g...

I was put onto Gatorskins by a friend around ten years ago, and have never looked back. Great tyre with fantastic grip and lifespan.

They are really solid, last forever and are quite light for a non racing tire. They also have decently low rolling resistance when inflated high.

However, in my experience they are really sketchy in wet conditions. I've wiped out or almost did multiple times on gatorskins. Deflating them in wet conditions works but the rolling resistance is then quite high.

I've found that the Schwalbe Marathons in wider sizes (I think I got 38s?) are much more confidence inspiring and comfortable, and makes up for the fact that I have to change a flat twice a year instead of once a year.

Oh yeah, I've had some extremely solid wipeouts in the wet on mine, but then again I usually just attribute that more to me being a hooligan on the bike more than the tires :P

My Marathons are nice and fast, but slippery on the curves and I'd watch out in the rain

I was regularly getting flats with a new to me road bike.

I switched to Continental Grand Prix 4 Season and haven't had a flat in 2 years in Portland, OR (though my frequency is down with the pandemic).

Panaracer T-Serv Messenger bike tires are what you're looking for. They're lighter than the gatorskins and work incredibly well. I rode one pair until the tread was gone in SF (several years) and never got one flat tire.

https://www.panaracerusa.com/collections/commuter-city/produ...

That's a nice option to have, thanks for sharing. I used Gatorskins (Hardshell and the normal version) until the tread was gone the past couple of years. This year I fitted some Continental Grand Prix 4-Season that are holding pretty well against punctures.

Might give these Panaracers a try when the tread of the GP are gone (or if I start getting punctures but so far they are as impervious as the Gatorskins for me).

Tannus too soft? I've had mine for a year and a summer, and really couldn't be happier. If anything, I find them a tad on the hard side. This is an ordinary, oldfashioned pushbike with medium-width tyres.

Schwalbe Marathon Mondial are incredibly durable tyres. Never had a single flat in at least 20,000 km on them.

> Schwalbe (garbage).

I have never read these two words in the same sentence. I've put thousands upon thousands of miles on my Schwalbe Marathons with nary a flat. Granted, nothing is 100%, but I find Schwalbe's a solid urban/touring choice.

same experience here. 'Schwalbe Marathon Plus' are the only pneumatic tires I have used on a wheelchair that last more than a few weeks of hard abuse.

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